Improvement in safety key-boxes



F. IMHAEUSE'R. Safety Key-Box.

Patented Nov.'18, I879.

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UNITED STATES" PATENT FFIGE.

FRIEDRICH IMHAEUSER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN SAFETY KEY-BOXES Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 221,823, dated November 18, 1879; application filed March 29, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRIEDRICH IMHAEUSER, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Safety-Boxes for Keys and other Articles, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a horizontal section of my box in one of its forms. Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof in theline ocw,Fig. 1. Fig.

3 shows another form of my box in vertical section.

same.

Similar letters indicate eorrespondin g parts.

My invention relates to that class of boxes for which Letters Patent of the United States were granted to me February 4, 1879, No. 212,006, to which reference is made; and the object of my present invention is to dispense with one of the cases described in my said patent and substitute therefor a movable door or doors with a like result.

I make use of a case or box divided into'two or more fixed compartments, and one or two movable doors for opening and closing said compartments, and combine therewith lockin g mechanism acting on the doors, whereby the opening of the door to the second department is made dependent onthe closing and locking of the door to the first door or compartment, as hereinafter fully described.

In the drawings, the letterAdesignates the body of my box, having two compartments, 1 2, this being the number of compartments into which the box is divided; and B B 13 are the doors.

In the example shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the compartments have separate doors, mark ed B B which are hung on hinges a, and the door to the first compartment, 1, is open, while the door to the second compartment, 2, is closed. With these hinged doors is combined locking mechanism consisting of a slide, b, secured to the first door, B, and a detent, c, to engage the slide when the first door is closed. A dog, d, secured to the second door, B and a catch, e, to engage said dog when the last door is closed, the dog being arranged in such rela- Fig. 4.- is a horizontal section of the I tion to the slide 1) that the inner or free end of the slide passes under the dog and lifts the same to a position in which it may pass the catch 0 when the first door is closed. lockin g mechanism last described is contained in a case, 0, having a door, f, which is locked, so that the mechanism is accessible only to an authorized person. A

The compartments 1 2 may be utilized to hold stationary detecters, instead of keys, as described in my former patent, and in that case the watchman may carry a key in lieu of a detecter. 7

When the box shown iu Figs. 1 and 2 is set, the second door, 13*, is shut, in which position it is locked by the catch 0 engaging the dog d; but the first door, 13, is left open, so that the key or watch contained in the first compartment is accessible. Then, when it is desired to gain access to the second department, 2, the door B is closed, whereby the slide 11 is moved inward and the dog (1 is displaced or released, permitting the second door, B to be opened, while at the same time the detent c catches into or behind a notch in the slide, as indicated in dotted outlinein Fig. 2, thus preventing a back movement thereof. Hence, wheuit is desired to'reopen the first compartment, 1, it is necessary to release the slide I), and, since this slide is inaccessible to any but an authorized person, a watchman is unable to attain this object. The outer position of the slide bis regulated by a shoulder, a, formed therein, striking against the front of the box.

In the example shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the first compartment, 1, is closed and the second compartment, 2, is open, while both compartments are arranged to be closed or opened by a single door, marked B This door B slides in guides f beneath two openings, 9, formed in the'body of the box, one to each compartment, and it carries a rod or handle, it, for moving the same to its different positions, in addition to a spring, i, which constitutes a de vice for locking the door-that is to say, when the door is in a position to open or expose the second compartment, 2, and an attempt is made to move or return the same to a previous position, the spring comes in contact with the" partition j of the box, andthe door is arrested. Access is had to the spring t' by means of a door, 7r, which, like the door f, is locked by The :2 I senses the person whose duty it is to set the box. When it is desired to move the sliding door B to a position in which the first compartment, 1, is open, it is necessary to flatten the spring 2', thereby permiting the same to clear the upper edge of the partition j, which can be accomplished only by opening the door 70. With the springt'is combined a lever, Z, which, when moved to the position indicated in dotted outline in Fig. 2, serves to flatten the spring, and thus materially facilitates the operation of setting the box.

It will be seen that in either form of my box it is absolutely necessary for the watchman to close and look the firstcompartment before the second one can be reached, and hence the key or Watch contained in thefirst compartment is inaccessible during and after the period or night in which the second key or watchis used.

FRIEDRI CH IMHAEUSER.

Witnesses W. HAUFF, CHAS. WAI-ILERS. 

